Search Results for: back to school

Busy Mom Life Hacks. Everyday mom solutions for moms on the go. From morning routine, to app that connect your family, the crazy sock tip and a dinner solution that will become a a weekly tradition!

Busy Mom Life Hacks

We were in survival mode for two years. Does anyone else go through a season where you are barely making it? This season was a bit too long but I was working full time plus a part-time stay at home mom with twin newborns and a 14 months old. As they grew, the chaos seemed to grow too. More to do, more to accomplish, a never ending to do list trying to win at both work and home.

I wasn’t winning and I had to come up with solutions. First, I learned to balance both work and life/family. I am still working on that one. Second, I began organizing our family in my own family command center – The Busy Mom Binder.I tested this binder on other busy mothers to see what was missing. They were so great and I think I have a very helpful product for you!

Once those things were set in place, I began researching Busy Mom Hacks. These were hacks and tips that would help this mom functionally organize her home. Some of these mom tips I was already doing, others I asked around and inquired what other busy mothers were doing to bring order back to their home….

Thus, our …..

Busy Mom Hacks

I get it guys, I am so busy too. I work and raise three kids and cart them to and fro from after school activities In order to get a hold and re-organize my life, I created the Busy Mom Binder. This keeps your family command center in one spot. It easily organizes your home, your kids and you and gives you a place to direct your husband when he asks that home/kids question for the 100th time – wink!

Get the Busy Mom Binder Digital Download!

This Mommy Hook has saved me many times on a grocery run. I look it to my stroller and run around grabbing what I need. It also holds the diaper bag pretty well!

One of the biggest gifts I have given myself is Grocery Delivery. I hardly visit the grocery store anymore except for a quick forgotten run or to hit the hot bar for a lunch for dinner entree. You can get grocery delivery from 1.) Peapod (what I use) 2.) Instacart (seems to be the most popular) or 3.) Amazon Fresh.

Put things in a laundry basket as you’re going about your day that need to be put away. Then when you go upstairs for bed, put everything away; things like toys and random things from my kids’ rooms. If you lay things like scissors, though, remove them from the path of the child. | Love Love Love Blog

Days of the Week Drawers. Use plastic drawers like these to organize school clothes and help mornings go a little more smoothly. Brilliant! You can find a similar drawer units at Staples.

My car and house keys are on a Retractable Key Chain attached to a carabiner. This is one of the best ways I keep my hands free, especially unloading three kids from car seats and carrying all their stuff! It especially saves me from loosing my keys. I always know they are attached to my bag with a carabiner. I do not even take the keys out of my bag to unlock the door – they stay attached to my bag handle. (You can watch my video here!)

Is the end of a busy day calling for a glass of wine? This Wine Bottle Stopper and Stand has been the most amazing solution for my glass of wine. No more crying over spilled wine in the refrigerator. Since they no longer sell this exact stopper, try this Silicone Stopper and this Wine Bottle Stabilizer Stand.

Read this laundry tip carefully. I can never find the right time to get laundry washed and then put in the dryer. Either I forget to switch it or I leave the house and the wet laundry sits. This is my solution. 1.) I set a timer on my washer. If I know I will return home in three hours, I start the laundry in 2 hours with a delayed timer. 2.) I set an Alexa reminder for when it is complete “Alexa, give me a laundry reminder at 4:30 PM.” … and that is how I get my laundry done as a busy mom!

Get off the floor. Protect your wood flooring easily by changing the chair glides on your dining chairs and other legged furniture.  These are the best nail on furniture glides and best of all, they don’t fall off!

If you find yourself on the go with a need to run through a  drive through, try this Dollar Store shower caddy for holding happy meals and other to-go meals. (As seen in our Car Hacks.)

Prepare your snacks and lunch. Always prepare for the unexpected, that is my motto. So I do snacks and lunches at night. This allows me to prepare for a busy morning and limits my to-do list trying to get out the door. Have a grab and go snack station (for morning or afternoon) like Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom. You can pick up a children’s lunch planner in our Busy Mom Binder.

Turn your veggies into characters! Jane Stine is a super hero. Quote straight from her “Here’s my best parenting hack. You know how kids always want Paw Patrol yogurt or Disney waffles or whatever? Bring your own stickers to the grocery store and start sticking. Today we’re having Winnie the Pooh brand spaghetti squash. It goes perfectly with Toy Story broccoli.”

So rest is everything to us. I sleep trained my kids and they have been sleeping through the night since 15 weeks of age. When my son started waking early has a 3 year old toddler, I began the solution of a green light letting him know when he can get out of bed.  The Hatch Baby Night Light and Time-to-Rise light was our solution (we actually don’t use the night light.)

Create an app folder on your phone. Put inside apps that usually waste time like social media apps. “Stop and Think” before you open this folder! Any since we might be loosing your attention on social media, make sure you are on our email list!

Speaking of apps, this is one your want to organize your family, especially if you have older kids with smart phones.  The Cozi Family Organizer App connects calendars, lists, and more to everyone! A three time award winning all, with Cozi you can:

• Keep events and activities all in one place
• Keep and share the grocery list in real time
• Store recipes, plan meals, and shop for ingredients
• Use from any mobile device or computer

Read this quote from mom hack influencer, Marleni…

We use the Cozi calendar app for more than just appointments. We use it for groceries too. If it’s not on the list, it doesn’t get bought. And with it synced to Alexa, we can update while we are in the kitchen. The calendar keeps us all on the same page with games, practices, appointments and special days as well as the needed items. The kids also made their Christmas Wish List in cozi this year.

Don’t forget to take care of yourself. I have told you in other posts how I wash my hair once a week. The day before I wash it, I load up my hair with Argan Oil. So there are days, where my hair is just too dirty. On those days I use dry shampoo (Living Proof is my favorite dry shampoo!) You can follow According to D for four days of dirty hair ideas!

Have a daily cleaning list. This keeps you on top of house maintenance. You could also use our less than 1 hour a day deep cleaning checklist. Often 20 to 30 minutes. If each day holds too much, split it among your spouse and among your kids. In our Busy Mom Binder we have a deep cleaning checklist, daily checklist, a monthly declutter challenge and chore chart for kids. Get inspired with these KonMari Method Ideas.

Each week, triple at least one dinner recipe that freezes well. Eat one and freeze the other two for busy nights! It doesn’t take that much longer to make a double or triple amount of a dish, than a single amount. This is a great idea for over the weekend and eventually your frozen meals will add up! This is a great way to pay it forward as well, especially when you sign up for a meal train or gift a dinner to a neighbor or elderly couple. Tip from Mary Ann at Menus 4 Moms.

Make a daily quiet box. This is a box pulled out each day for a set amount of time. Each box is assigned a different day. This is a quite time where mom is free to catch up on work, house hold chores or time to herself. With each box there is a new discovery. If you have two boxes for each day of the week, you can ensure these toys/activities feel pretty new each time they are pulled out (only two times a month!) Idea on Babies and Kids Review.

I don’t know why socks are such an issue but we all complain about them! This Sock Hack is great. First, for younger kids socks, wash them in a mesh bag. This keeps all socks together so they are not lost in the deep dark abyss. Second, try this Crazy Sock Trip from the Thrifty Couple. Each family member has a different color/style of sock, so in the laundry 1.) socks match 2.) you can quickly identify which sock belongs to whom! Genius.

Don’t Forget! Keep a do not forget list by the door. Laminate this list and hang it on your door with a Command Brand strip or Velcro. You can write on it with a dry erase maker and wipe it off with a wet paper towel. No need to leave the house and return home because you forgot something!

PRINT A COPY OF “DO NOT FORGET” LIST
Get all of our free printables including this Do Not Forget List for the door. Subscribe and look for a link and password in our inbox. The password allows you to access and download any of our free printables.

I am happy to share printables. When sharing with others, please lead them to my website instead of emailing them the file(s). It takes time, effort and money to put the freebies forth and I earn when you visit. Thanks for visiting and thanks for sharing with others!

Also enjoy these Life Hacks and Tips. Pin to Pinterest.

Also enjoy these Winning Car Hacks and Tips – for a mom always on the go! Pin to Pinterest.

WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.

Winter Hacks, Tips and Tricks. These Warming winter life hacks will have you embracing the colder months. Tips from a Floridian who learned to survive ice, freezing rains, and blizzards.

Winter Hacks, Tips and Tricks

I lived in Florida for well over 30 years. We had a snow flurries, twice in my entire life. When I moved from Florida to Virginia, I immediately battled one of their biggest blizzards ever (alone, without my husband) and just with the kids. Shoveling my car out of the snow took five hours. I felt like I learned a lot in that first six months, but as I became a Virginia local, I became lazy. Laziness lead to the stupidest decision I ever made – I drove with snow on top of my car!  The windshield was cleaned, but I though I could keep the snow on the roof o my car. It was dumb but it was a quick run to the kids school. I pulled out of my driveway on a busy road, went a little down hill and the entire roof of snow slid down my car. The inside of my car became black as if it was night. I could not see out of my front window as it was covered by 6 inches of snow. I was at an intersection, and I was blind. I immediately looked around for something to get rid of this snow. There was nothing. Not even a pencil or a pen.

Winter Auto Hack

Since then, I put a snow brush/ice scrapper in my car. This goes around with me 365 days a year. I will never leave home without it again because I luckily lived in that moment. I will always be prepared scrapping my car in the morning and having one with me, should snow accumulate when I am out.

This is my fifth winter in Virginia. I have learned a lot of Winter Hacks and Tips that I now want to share with you. It was these life hacks that pulled me through winter after winter. Learning through my mistakes, I hope that you find them helpful too to prevent your own mistakes!

Winter Life Hacks

Below are a bunch of Life Hacks to help you get through winter. Whether born in Florida or born in the mountains of the Rockies, we can all benefit with a few tips and tricks to get us through the coldest and snowiest months of the year!

Best Snow Life hack: Use non-stick cooking spray on the snow shovel to keep it free from sticky clumps. Not once will you have to knock clods off and every scoop is easily emptied. | Source

Salt is real, you guys. I have never looked at salt the same until I moved to the north. Instead of lugging a heavy bag of deicer out to the sidewalk, here’s a great solution! Make a “sidewalk salt shaker” from a big plastic coffee container. Poke 1/4-in. holes in the lid and fill it with salt, sand, cat litter, and/or deicer and shake away

Organize hats, gloves, scarfs and other winter accessories with a Over the Door Shoe Hanging Organizer. | Blue i Style

Frozen locks and ice covered windshields. “We are not in Florida anymore,” is what i tell myself every January! This 2 Ingredient Instant De-Icer Spray is your winter solution. | Six Cleaver Sisters

When a big snow is headed your way, lift your windshield wipers. Additionally, cover them with socks. Socks will keep ice off the wipers and will help your de-icing process in the morning.

Expect mud and water to come through the house when the kids come in from the snow. Toss all the outer layer clothes immediately in the dryer (don’t worry about washing) or hang wet snow clothes on a swing out drying rack by the door. | Source

Water-proofing your feet! You might laugh, but this is a thing! Put plastic bags on your feet under your boots (over your wool socks) to keep your feet dry!  | Wonder Bread on Twitter

Want to save on heating and cooling? Did you know Aluminum foil on windows in winter acts as an insulator. If that kills your curb appeal, consider using it to cover windows that are not as obvious, perhaps small attic windows or basement windows. Even consider windows that face the woods or backyard.

Warm hands are everything! You can buy a reusable hand warmer. I suggest keeping these by the door for snow days or outdoor adventures. If you get the disposable hand warmers, you can keep more hands warm than just one!

Loose power in the winter? Use your washer as a cooler! Just add ice (or snow!) If it melts, you will not have to worry about the drainage! (Then again, you can move everything out to the snow too!)

Speaking of power going out, the same solar lights that light up your yard and be used indoors for light. Charge during the day by the window and use them at night to see! | Ever Never Again

Mind blown – Kitchen Tupperware creates snow bricks! You guys, I went and bought a snow brick maker (Grrrr!) | Source

A few drops of hand sanitizer on your key can open a frozen lock!

When you wake in the morning, immediately feel your windows, especially near the edges. The windows let the most cold air in. Create these DIY Draft Stoppers to keep the warmth in and keep the bills lower. | Kitchen Counter Chronicle

Believe it or not, there was ONE time we had to park and walk home. The snow and the hill became too much. A 3 mile trip home turned into a 2 hour drive and we couldn’t not get the rest of the half mile home. We were dressed “okay” but had we not been, it would have been a tough walk (even that half mile.) During winter, have a Winter Emergency Car Kit! This Emergency Cart Kit is great, but also have wool socks, hats, gloves, a blanket, snacks and water!

Note: Wool socks cost a lot, but they are a MUST for winter. Just realize you will wear them season after season after season! worth the investment!

The worst thing with snow, ice and salt is the entry way. I always have a stack of towels by the front door so I can quickly lay them down on the floor or clean up the floor. Also make your own DIY Pebble Filled Tray for dirty shoes and boots. | Rambling Renovators

Living in a town home has reminded us that warm air rises and cool air falls – cold basements and hot 3rd levels. If you find heat trapped in your ceiling, remember to turn the direction on your fans! Summer = counterclockwise, Winter = clockwise. | Delmar Fans

Winterizing your home? Take a look at this free printable checklist to get started! | Wholefully

Snow day was a new thing to us, so we did everything creative we could! Visit these Snow Day Ideas for Kids. Pin to Pinterest.

Follow these steps for how to make an igloo out of snow! Pin to Pinterest.

When you come in, you want to be warm! Save these Comforting Warning Casserole Meals. Pin to Pinterest.

WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.